Doomsday
by Lila
Summary: A short little Rufus POV. I was at a loss, really bored last night, so I came up with this. It's not overly happy, but...c'mon, it's RUFUS! Please R&R!


Doomsday

Maybe it was a mistake for Old Man to leave the company, the fortune, everything to me.

After all, _he _had no idea what I'd do with it. For all he knew, I could've grown up to be a terrible businessman, a gambler determined to throw it all away in the next sweep. And I might have, too, just to spite him. Luckily for him, I had bigger plans.

No, I'm sure he planned on giving me a nice long speech on how the company was to be run. Maybe give the Turks some instruction on how to keep an eye on me. I'm sure he planned on controlling everything, even after his retirement.

That's why I didn't mind at all when Sephiroth killed him.

Freedom. I could run the company my way. I'll give him credit for one thing- the old guy really did have patience. I don't know how I would've fared, starting small and gradually swallowing other corporations, making Shinra, Inc. a massive force to be reckoned with.

I don't bother with the small stuff. Better to have the company handed over, ripe and ready for use. 

Don't think it was all easy. There was a lot of work involved. And I had to cover up that big, messy story of my father's death. It wouldn't do to have the populace hear that Sephiroth's alive.

All for nothing, naturally. They know now. They have to know.

I stand and walk to the window. There, hovering in the sky like an ominous thundercloud, is Meteor. Every second brings it a little closer. It's funny, how nobody tries to brush it off, insist there's no danger, that's what bomb shelters are for. Whether they know the whole story or not, the whole world knows there's no running from this. Doomsday is coming, and there's nothing to do but wait for it.

People are losing faith. Shinra was supposed to protect them, but nothing in the world will protect them from this. There's a restlessness now, in the city of Midgar, a feeling of suppressed tension. The city is starting to realize that blind faith is just that: Blind. Already, there have been riots in the streets. They cry to Shinra for help. They want to see action. 

It was Scarlet who came up with the idea, of course. Beyond that thick mask of makeup lies a cold, calculating mind. The woman wanted a public spectacle. One the city of Midgar will never forget.

"Forget Meteor," she insisted, crossing her legs and leaning over my desk to give her breasts the opportunity to fall out of her dress. I idly wonder what she'd do if they did. Laugh? Stuff them back in? Nothing at all?

"Mr. President, Sephiroth is holed up in his little cave, and he's not about to come out," she continued, thankfully straightening back up again. "We need to draw him out." She made a sweeping motion with her hand, lacquer-painted nails flashing in the white office lights. "Get rid of Sephiroth, get rid of Meteor. Our problem will be solved." 

I turned to her. "What if Sephiroth's the only one who can call off Meteor? If we get rid of him, we get rid of our chance."

She brushed it off, shrugging innocently. "If he was going to call it off, he'd have done it already, Rufus." I clenched my teeth in annoyance, but she went on. "The only thing to do is to kill him, and kill him quick."

She'd been right. The most we could do was kill Sephiroth, and hope for the best.

Hope for the best. I try not to laugh. When you hope for the best, you often get the worst.

Like now. WEAPON is lumbering toward Midgar, extraordinarily slowly, but still coming. Cloud and his gang are trying to slow it down, but their efforts are wasted. The thing's a moving mountain.

I've given orders for the Sister Ray to be fired at once. It would go through WEAPON, to smash into Sephiroth's barrier and hopefully destroy it.

Now, alone in my office, all I have to do is wait.

There is a low rumbling sound as the cannon is readied. When it's fired, the concussion almost knocks me from my feet. I grab hold of a chair to steady myself.

WEAPON is hit. I see it go down. The beam of energy keeps traveling, until it finally disappears. I wait for the loudspeaker to announce success.

It never comes.

WEAPON is doing something, collecting energy for one last attack. I watch, hypnotized. The beam comes hurtling, in a straight line…right for me.

It's going to hit.

I am about to die.

As I stare into the blinding light coming at me, I only think of Meteor. How it's going to destroy the rest of the world just like this. I suddenly _know: _Killing Sephiroth won't amount to a thing. He's already summoned it; it's out of control. Perhaps he knows, perhaps that's why he's holed up in that crater.

Meteor will strike just the same.

I smile bitterly as the ball of energy smashes into my office. I smile with the feel of the burning, agonizing pain.

For nothing! It's all for nothing!

Somehow, in my mind's eye, I can see Old Man laughing.

Shinra has fallen. But it doesn't really matter.

My death will mark the beginning of the end.    

© January 2002

I know, not my most happy work. Well, Rufus isn't the most happy person! *pause* Did I really just say "most happy"? 

**Casey, I know you're reading this, and I'm sorry it was a tad depressing. I think I'll write a happy Rufus revival for you! Someday. When I finish all my chapter-stories that I'm avoiding. **

**                        ~Lila**


End file.
